New Testament Overview Flashcards
What does Testament mean?
A covenant partnership.
How many texts in OT? How many years in the making?
39 books. 1000 years in the making.
How many texts in the NT? How long to write? Who were they written by?
27 books. 40-ish to 60-ish years to write. Written mostly by the apostles.
What does “Gospel” mean? Name the four gospels by who wrote them.
Gospel means “Good News”. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
What does “Apostles” mean? What are they appointed to do and by whom?
It means “the sent ones.” They are commissioned by Jesus as his representatives to spread the Good News about him through the ancient world.
What is the New Testament the culmination of?
The whole biblical story that begins in the Old Testament.
Who do the Gospel writers portray Jesus as? And what will he do?
Both the promised son of Abraham who will restore God’s blessing to the nations and as that new human who will defeat evil and restore humanity to partnership with God.
Who is Jesus really?
Israel’s divine king made human.
What was the message of Jesus?
The Kingdom of God is here!
What did Jesus call himself? What does this mean? How did Jesus overcome evil. What does this have to do with his resurrection?
The “Son of Man”. It is a messianic title showing Jesus is a human man. He overcame evil by being a servant and giving his life as a ransom for many. He died for humanity’s evil and sin. His resurrection was raising him to life as the first of a new humanity.
How did Jesus empower his followers? What for?
He empowered them through the Holy Spirit in order to spread the Gospel and love of Jesus throughout the world. They invite people to join this new humanity.
Who do the letters of the apostles address? What do they explain? How di they explain it?
They address early Christian communities. They explain the “Good News” or the Gospel. They explained it by appealing to stories of the Old Testament and stories of Jesus.
How did the apostles want us to see ourselves?
They wanted us to see our own life stories as part of the epic biblical story.
What are the differences between the current age and the new age to come?
The current age is evil with our humanity trapped in a babylonian exile, and slavery in Egypt. The new age is a new home outside of Babylon in a new humanity liberated into a promised land and a new created age by Jesus.
What is Jesus portrayed as in Revelation? What is he doing? What is happening to his followers?
The slain lamb who is the divine king of the world. He is leading his people out of slavery and exile in Babylon and into the new creation. They are suffering to follow Jesus and resist Babylon’s influence.
